Monday, March 30, 2015

Even though I've blown through an embarrassing number of phones the past 2 years (thank you Rhett, Rhett, Rad and ok me) and lost thousands of photos (Did I really need that series of nine photos from the park of Rad doing prettttty much the same exact smile down the slide? Or the montage of Rhett doing another dizzying routine of tricks-a-plenty in the backyard? Or the shoot of a palm tree I found particularly palmy? NO but...don't tell this mom armed with a camera phone THAT because she needs to preserve those memories always and 4ever.)

Why take one when you can take a MILLION?

Problem with a million pictures is that only one in a million people really care about all those gems.

So what's a mom to do with all the pictures?

Blog. (Duh!)

So let's get the bonus training rolling, rolling, rolling here.

Jake:

He rarely makes the blog as often as he should. At least in any great detail.

I love to go hiking every once in a while. It is so great to go out in the mountains, or through the forest and just walk, leaving your worries behind.

Or carrying the heaviest worry when his feet get tired.

It is also just as enjoyable, sitting on my bum, reading a magazine. Watching the children play happily. Or wrestle each other.

Dinner. I made it earlier in the week and it didn't involve anything frozen or defrosted or from the freezer (fine, it was chili and I used a seasoning packet rather than get fancy, but I was holding Rad most of the entire time so basically Top Chef me) and I think Jake genuinely thanked me 88 separate times which is only indicative of what a rarity non-defrosted dinner is in this kitchen bum's lair. Maybe I'll do it again soon.

This. Internet quizzes are my gurus and self-esteem boosters. Always.

Mr. Rhett:

Ever the ring master...dance monkey, dance!

Rad kept trying to climb into the glorified doll stroller and simply couldn't accept the simple physics of the fact that his large bottom would not be fitting comfortably in the small stroller. So Rhett was very enthusiastic about trying to wheel him up and down the street. Rad was an enthusiastic mooch.

Radicus:

Is in a pink phase because he ALWAYS carefully selects the pinkest, most princess toys at Target. At least he's not at risk of becoming cliché.

For about 52 hours we weren't sure where Rad went and why Nacho Spider-Libre was following us around. When we tried to remove the mask and the mystery (even at nap time), we were slapped with faux spider webs and spitty sound effects.

He's breathing on his own, stable, and for all intents and purposes the perfect super-human premie.

Show me a happier tiny human. Just try.

My favorite favorite photos of Jake are the ones of him holding our brand new babies...

Sweet Beck. He's worth it. They always are.

God is so good.

Oh unrequited love...I see it in his eyes.

What? One more pic?

Okay, fine!!!! One more...

The labor and delivery were an odyssey that I hope I'm up to typing about one day soon. Okay, that sounds dramatic, but maybe I should type it up when I have more than five minutes of being able to sit in an uncomfortable desk chair. Let's just say he was even more dramatic than Rad was about making his way out into the big bad world.

Julia: (Swerving to avoid a cart collision)
Rhett: Hey!!
Rhett: Are you trying to kill me??!!

Watching me struggle to roll out of bed

Rhett: Great job doing the exercising Mom!
Julia:
Rhett: You can DO IT!!

Playing Super Mario with Jake

Rhett: Dad!
Rhett: Watch out for all the abominations!
Julia: He means the bombs...

Discussing the new baby

Julia: What do you think we should name the baby?
Rhett: Well I don't like the name Bucket. (He means Beckett)
Julia: Well what should we name him then?
Rhett: Maybe we could name him Scooter!
Julia: So any other names tickle your fancy?
Rhett: Hmmm...
Julia:
Rhett: How about the name, "Captain America?" That's a responsible name huh?

While getting myself dressed for church

Julia: OK Rhett should I wear these shoes or these shoes?
Rhett: (as he plucks my leopard print heels out of the closet) Well, I just really think Jesus would like these nice ones better.
Julia:

Eating a bedtime snack

Rhett: I know how to speak all the Spanish.
Jake: Really.
Rhett: Yep.
Jake: How do you say "I'm eating popcorn" in Spanish then?
Rhett: Hola popcorn.
Rhett: See. I speak Spanish.

Rhett: Mom I have a secret to tell you.
Julia: (bends down) Yes?
Rhett: Do you think all these girls will think I'm really handsome?
Julia: I think they might.
Rhett: (deep sigh) I knew it.

An impromptu bathtub lesson in appropriate word choice

Rhett: Rad, we don't say "holy crabs" (crap) because it's really rude to all the crabs.
Rad:
Rhett: But it is OK to say "holy booger!" and "holy chicken!"
Rad: No.
Rhett: I know what I'm talking about Rad.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

I wasn't going to post a pregnancy update until next week but what the crazy? Let's do it today because I know the internet has a huge gaping hole in the shape of, "fascinating mom stuff!!" that needs to be filled. Today.

With your first baby you take a über amounts of bump pictures, you're second gets about half as many gestational mementos and the third baby gets the bare minimum.

Sorry, baby boy. I'm a little behind, but trying to catch up.

Would you believe me if my excuse was I've been busy urinating whole 1/4 teaspoons every 3-4 minutes? It's very time consuming.

Or the excuses could be filed into two categories...

Saving Myself From The Third Trimester

or

My Quest For Energy - Any Energy At All

I know a lot of ladies have really rough pregnancies so I won't complain (too much) because I'm sure I have it pretty easy in comparison. From week 16-28 constant nausea/morning sickness was a constant companion so I am really liking this side of the third trimester mark a lot more than I liked the other side.

Plus full term is justaroundtheriverbend!!!

This isn't a complaint but an actual fact that this has been my most difficult pregnancy to date by far. Very far. Farther than the eye can see. Cry me a river, Julia Timberlake. I know. I know. It's a rough life. Emotionally I've been experiencing a little of the PPD/anxiety pre-delivery and my need for ultimate control over everything is boarder line dictatorship. I'm trying to avoid going on Zoloft till week 37 because I don't love the idea of the baby getting any more of it than it has too. So trying to find my inner zen/hippy has been fun. I'm usually the first to pop a pill when needed, but for the next four weeks I'm banking on my evening walks, uplifting reading, bizarre nesting rituals and nightly foot massages al la husband to help control the many emotions.

Physically, oddly enough, this is my smallest pregnancy to date. I'm carrying this little one very differently and despite putting on a little over 6 pounds in less than a month (I eat a lot of strawberries avalanched in refined sugar and have a weird urge for deviled eggs OK?), weight gain wise I haven't put on as much as I did with Rhett and Rad at this point. But this kid has got to be positioned exactly on a nerve cluster or something because my hips and lower back are in a constant state of throb and spasm and my left leg is a legitimate road map of varicose veins. But oddly enough, only that left leg. Every couple of hours I need to sit with a heating pad on my lower back to maintain the ability to walk up and down the stairs and to avoid becoming a candidate for those "help I've fallen and I can't get up" commercials.

Jake is a saint and doesn't mind too much being woken up in the middle of the night when I can't get up or roll over because it hurts too much. And until baby drops, anytime I eat more than 10 bites I need to be patted on the back...aka burped. How embarrassing.

The sweet in the past weeks has been how much baby moves. He's a certifiable crazy cake (what baby isn't?) and his signature move is the truffle shuffle. He seems to really enjoy those afore mentioned strawberries and gets very active post sharing session. Since he's so active all the time it's been fantastic to have the boys be able to share in that. Rhett gets a little defensive of my internal organs when he feels baby pushing and shoving for more room in there. We've explained to Rhett loosely that the baby will be coming out of my belly button so he believes that that's the best conduit for communication. Any major kicking infractions by the youngest brother and Rhett yells into said belly button threats of timeout and no shows when he's born. I'm glad that I won't have to be the bad guy with discipline anymore. Thank you dear Rhett.

When Rad wakes up from his nap he loves to be held in his chair and often gets bumped by the baby. Since he's not quite sure how to verbalize his surprise, he usually just leans back, stares at the offender and throws him some serious shade.

So we're about 50 days out from an anticipated C-section date of May 1st. Rhett is all set to feed the baby "noodles, popsicles and milk" and Rad is all set to do nothing particularly helpful at all. But he has learned to say baby so we have high hopes for a smooth transition. ;)

Friday, March 6, 2015

There's only so much fun native, sun loving boys can have in the stuff. I've mentioned before that Rhett especially needs to get outside or he starts to go a little crazy (like most 4-year-old boys, I'd imagine) and projects his crazy onto everyone else, namely Rad.

and by 10:12 in the am...welcome to the nuthouse. So!

B. Thank goodness for indoor outlets.

Motivational speaker/drill Sargent Rhett were Rad's sponsors for the trek up the slopes. He punched his big brother card multiple times as he guided Rad up, over and down and it warmed our parental hearts.

Rad had impressive jumping skills till it came time to actually jump into the foam pit. But he was the most enthusiastic, feet first, slider there ever was.

C. The reason for the trip was to welcome home the best, littlest brother in my family, William, from his 2 year LDS mission in Berlin Germany.

If you're not familiar with LDS missions, for young men they last for 2 years and for young women they last for 18 months. For all missionaries there is limited contact with their families, just a phone call on Christmas and Mother's Day and weekly emails. So for William he had never met Rad, not that you could tell, Rad's motto is "I just met you and I love you." So last time William saw me I was pregnant and now I've pregnant again. Could we be anymore Mormon? ;) So a homecoming is kind of a big deal for a missionaries family.

And for our family this was especially special because William is the last of my parents kids to serve, making us 6 for 6 on serving.

From left to right, my dad served in Nagoya Japan in 1978, my mom in Rio de Janiero Brazil in 1981, my brother John served in Johannesburg South Africa in 2005, I served in Frankfurt Germany in 2006, my sister Jane in Belgium Brussels-Netherlands in 2010, and William rounding us out with Berlin Germany in 2013....six Holbeins, six LDS missions.